Winding and feeding mechanism.



No. 789,786. PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

N G. J. BELLAMY.

WINDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 28,1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0. 789,786. PATENTED MAY 16, 1905. G. J. BELLAMY.

WINDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED 00T.28,1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3441mm Wflmwmo 4 m 4 z mz/ PATBNTED MAY 16, 1905.

C. J; BELLAMY.

WINDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 00T- 28.1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E Ill w vbmmo PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

U. JVBELLAMY.

WINDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED OUT. 28,1903.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4- mic M411 0 Patented May 16, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J BELLAMY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

WINDING AND FEEDING IVIECHANISIIII.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,786, dated. May 16,1905.

Application filed October 28, 1903. Serial No. 178,814.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLEs J. BELLAMY, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Springfield, in the countyof Hampden andCommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Windingand Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for winding andfeeding paper, cloth, and other kinds of fabric in which are employed acore upon which the fabric is adapted to be wound and from which thesame fabric is adapted to be afterward fed, a plurality oftape-supporting members and the tape supported thereby, with certainother parts and members, all as hereinafter set forth; and the objectsof my improvement are to provide mechanism both for winding paper,cloth, and other varieties of fabric upon a core and for feeding thesame from the core as desired. Such mechanism as this is adapted tosuccessfully and conveniently handle paper, cloth, and other varietiesof fabric either in web or short lengths, either in sheets or strips insequence, or can be satisfactorily employed to handle short lengths inconjunction with a continuous web or short lengths in double thicknessor two webs. Heretofore in particular much difficulty has beenexperienced in attempting to roll together separate or independentsheets of paper so that they could be properly unrolled in sequence.With my mechanism I am able not only to wind up the separate sheets insequence, but to deliver them thereafter in like manner. In winding, thesheet or strip is pushed into the bite formed by the actuating-roller orthe tape supported thereby and another coacting member by which saidsheet or strip is drawn into the device. Feeding is done either bydirectly actuating thetape-supporting members, the action of which isreversed from what it is in winding, or by pulling upon the exposed endof the last sheet or strip wound on the core. The preferred method offeeding depends upon the use to which the sheets are to be put and thenature of the force available for actuating them.

A further object of my invention is to provide practicable, efficient,and comparatively simple mechanism which is capable of accomplishing theabove-noted results.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of mymechanism free from such attachments or connections as might be adaptedto facilitate the intake and delivery under certain conditions and forcertain uses; Fig. 2, a side view of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinalvertical section on lines 00 m, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrow; Fig. 4:, a similar sectional view showing a core with paper woundthereon and the course of the papersheets to or from said core; Fig. 5,a transverse section on lines y y, Fig. 3, looking in the direction ofthe arrow 5, all of the rollers with one exception being omitted; Fig.6, a longitudinal vertical section showing an adaptation of the deviceby setting an actuatingroller away from the mechanism shown in thepreceding views in conjunction with an idler for use in connection withcertain other machines; Fig. 7 a longitudinal vertical section showing amodification of the device in which axial bearings for the core aredispensed with and certain other changes made; and Fig. 8, a diagramillustrating the method of locating the path of the axis of the core,either with or without fabric thereon, in its movable bearings.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The end of the device into which paper is taken or at which paper isdelivered is herein termed the working or front end, the same being theleft-hand end of Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4:, 6, and 7, and this is to be kept inview in the following description, so that no confusion may arise as tothe relative position or location of certain of the members.

As a convenient support for the rotary and other parts which enterintimately into the new construction a frame A or A may be provided fromthe sides of which near one end rise side pieces or upright supports B,B, or B. A guide C or C extends between the sup- .ports, to which it issecurely fastened by screws 60. A slot 5, Fig. 2, is out in each supportB or B toreceive one of the screws a, which passes through said slotinto threaded engagement with an ear 0, depending from the adjacent endof the guide C, one such ear being provided at each end of said guide,and by this means the guide may be properly adjusted. Washers (Z areintroduced between the heads of the screws a and the sides of thesupports. The guide C may be attached by its ears 0 to each support B ina similar manner to that just described.

Referring now more particularly to the first five figures, it will beobserved that two rollers and f and a third roller or core g for thepaper or other fabric have their trunnions or the ends of their shaftse, f, and g, respectively, journaled in the supports B, the shaft 9being received in slots 6 in said supports, while the shafts e and fhave stationary bearings therein. The slots Z extend forward and upwardfrom the rear edges of the supports B. The roller f is located directlybelow the guide 0. g

The rear edge of the guide C is close to the core g, back of whichfingers h and c' depend from said edge, the fingers It being longer thanthe fingers The fingers it after curving slightly forward have a generalinclination to the rear, while the direction of the fingers dis forward.The object of this peculiarly-constructed guide will be fully setforthhereinafter.

A tension-roller j has its trunnions or the ends of its shaft ,7"journaled in brackets Z0 is, securely attached to the sides of the frameA back of the supports, each of said brackets having a slot Zr thereinfor said shaft 7'. Springs Z Z extend between the outer ends ofthe-shaft y" and pins 171. m, driven into the sides of the frame. Thefront ends of the springs Zcomprise the principal bearings for the shaftj, while the brackets in serve more in the capacity of guides. The sidesof the frame A are cut away, as shown at a, to accommodate thetension-roller j.

The rollers e, f, and j by preference have a plurality of annulargrooves 0 to divide each into as many annular ridges as there are tapesp, which are adapted to run on said ridges. This construction not onlyrenders the rollers lighter, but enhances the ease and smoothness withwhich the device works, because there is less liability of the fabricbeing wound or fed to catch upon the rollers.

I have shown three endless tapes p, although the number may be greateror less, arranged side by side on their supporting-rollers, said tapespassing between the fingers h, where they intersect the plane of thetapes.

tapes are supported on the raised portions of. the rollers e, f, and j,as hereinbefore stated, which they encompass, and are so arranged thatin passing from the roller 6 to the roller 5 f they partially embracethe core g or the These.

into the slack between said rollers e and f and held there. Then owingto the influence of the springs Z on the roller f or because the tapes ptighten on account of their own elasticity said tapes must always holdthe core and the material thereon, if any, in a partial but effectiveembrace, controlling the varying periphery thereof as long as limits arefixed beyond which said periphery cannot be forced. This arrangement oftapesupporting rollers accomplishes two purposes: First, it securessimultaneous movement of all rollers, and, second, it furnishes themeans for successfully manipulating the core and various thicknesses offabric thereon, the latter being an absolutely essential feature in adevice of this kind.

The slot Z represents the path of the axis of the core, the methodof-fixing which is one of the most essential features of my invention.While it is not necessary that the slot should be employed for movablebearings, nor yet essential that the core should have any axial bearingswhatsoever, as will presently appear, it is to be observed that the pathof said movable bearings, if such be employed, or of the imaginary axisof the core in any case, must be definitely fixed if the best resultsare to be obtained. The proposition is a geometrical one and isexplained below.

i In order that the tape shall always be tight in its partial embrace ofthe core or fabric wound thereon, the periphery of said core, with orwithout its fabric, must not only have a line of contact on the roller 0or the tape supported thereby, but must find resistance on some otherline parallel to that, such as is afforded by the lower roller or thetape su pported thereby in the arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 orsuch as is established by the bearings provided by the slots 5, Fig. 3.In either and in any case the rule by which the relation of the path ofthe axis and the lines of resistance referred to is established asfollows: The plane of said path represented by the line 2 in Fig. 8should be perpendicular to the plane represented by the line 3,connecting the two aforesaid parallel lines of resistance andequidistant from said lines.

Returning now to a consideration of the operation of the mechanism,whichcan be best understood by the study of Fig. 3, and assuming that it isdesired to form a roll of independent sheets of paper, the operation isas follows: Actuate the mechanism by means of ahand-wheel or pulley g onone end of the shaft 6 so that the tapes 1) travel in the direction ofthe arrows 10, Fig. 3, and insert IIO j are shown.

the end of a sheet of paper in the bite formed by said tapes and thecore g. The sheet is immediately wound 'onto the core g by the tapes 2).Before the sheet has entirely disappeared between the roller and core gthe head or top of a second sheet is inserted between such'roller andcore or the paper already wound upon the latter above the foot or lowermargin of its predecessor. I find it is only by thus lapping the bottomand top margins when winding that unvarying and satisfactory sequence infeed of separate sheets without accompanying web on the inside can beobtained. If butted or if lapped on the inner surface of the leadingsheet or strip in process of winding, I attain no sure and constantsequence in feeding, the following sheet or strip being likely toaccompany the sheet or strip which should be its predecessor,eithercoinciding full length therewith or with a varying portion thereof,according to the length of the sheets and the size of the periphery., Bylapping, as explained, I also insure in feeding the succeeding sheetsfollowing with just the same amount of lap which they had in winding;but to return to the specific description of the mechanical operation,the second sheet follows the first, a third follows the second, and asmany more as are required to make up the roll. As the paper accumulateson the core g said core is pushed away from the. roller 6, the shaft 9'moving rearwardly in the slots 6, and more of the back reaches of thetapes 7) is required and used to confine the accumulation of paper,thereby shortening the length of the laps behind the paper-holding core,the tension-roller j being drawn forward against the resiliency of thesprings Z. In Fig. 4: the changed positions due to the presence of asubstantially full paper-roll 9' of the core 9 and the roller In passingaround the core g the head of the sheet after leaving the tapesencounters the long guide-fingers h and is thereby directed upwardbetween another portion of the paper and the core again or the paperalready wound thereon. The short guidefingers are adapted to preventportions of the head of a sheet in its circuitous course from catchingon the guide, as it would be very liable to do in the absence of saidfingers, and to otherwise direct the course of the paper.

To feed the paper from the device or unwind it from the roll 0' on thecore 9, actuate the mechanism so that the tapes 1) shall travel in thedirection indicated by the arrows 11, Fig. 4, or draw out one sheetafter another by pulling-upon an exposed end. The broken lines .9 and.s" in Fig. i represent adjacent and lapped ends of two sheets, by whichit will be observed that before one sheet is clear of the roll r and theroller 0 or of the portions of the tapes 1; which pass beneath saidroller the end of another sheet becomes exposed or or such a line ofsheets together with a continuous strip. In short, various combinationsof sheets or strips or sheets and strips may be successfully manipulatedby my mechanism. Renewed attention is called to the fact that although Ihave described the mechanism as being used in winding or feeding paperit is applicable as well to many other kinds of fabric for which, as inthe case of paper, it will be found useful both for webs and shortlengths or for the two together, one over the other, to be wound upon orfed from the same core.

In Fig. 6 the su pport B by preference is provided with three otherslots in addition to the inclined slot 5 and one for the screw it, whichis similar to what is shown at b in Fig. 2, such additional slots beingdesignated and located as follows: 6, extending vertically upward fromthe bottom edge of a forward projection of the support; 6', extendinghorizontally rearward from the front edge of the support near the top,and 5", extending downward and forward from the upper edge for the shafte. In addition to the rollers e and f and the core g there is a roller1?, which has a trunnion on the end of its shaft if, received into thesupport-slot 1/, and a roller a, which has a trunnion on the end of itsshaft a, received into the support-slot b. The roller a, which receivesits rotary motion by frictional contact with the roller 25 (said roller2, in this case becoming the actuating-roller) and with the rollerf'orwith the tapesp thereon and acts directly on the fabric when it entersor leaves the device, is tensioned toward said rollers t and f by aspring 0), extending between the ends of the shafts t and 11/ out sideof the support B, (one such spring being provided at each side of thedevice,) or tension may be applied to said roller a in any otherconvenient manner. The slot 7) permits vertical play on the part of theroller a, which latter is in reality an idler for the purpose juststated, and said slot also admits of the convenient removal of the shaftu from the support B. The tapes 0 include, as before intimated, theactuating-roller tin their circuit and normally hold said roller, withits shaft t, against the rear end of each slot 1/. The slot 5 enablesthe roller 3 to be easily removed or replaced. The guide C is used asbefore, its front edge coming quite close to the idler a.

instance.

The operation ofthe Fig. 6 construction is very similar to that alreadydescribed in connection with the preceding views, except that the paperis first led between the tapes on the roller t and the idler a, fromwhence it passes between the guide 0 and adjacent reach of the tapes 1)to the core gin winding or takes a reverse direction in feeding. Theoverlapping of adjacent ends is done in front of the roller t and idlerit instead of in front of the roller 0 and core 9 when the fabric isbeing wound, and the first-named rotarymembers assist in actuating thefabric into the grip of the last-mentioned rotary members, or,conversely, in' feeding the new actuating-roller and idler finallydeliver the fabric.

Referring now to Fig. 7 it will be noticed that a shorter frame A isused and a slightly different support B. Rollers e and f have theirshafts permanently journaled at each end in a support B, two of suchsupports being provided, of course, in this and the precedingconstruction, as in the one first described. The roller j has its shaftj permanently journaled at each end in a bracket is. Here the core g hasno axial bearings, but is slung between the supports in loops or bendsof the tapes 1), the course of which latter, however, is very similar tothat best shown in Fig. 3. In this application of my invention theroller f is so located as to enable the core 9 or fabric wound thereonto be drawn by the tapes 1) into contiguity with said roller, as well aswith the roller ethat is, said core or the fabric bears against bothrollers. only the tapes being interposed between. Heretofore the tapeshave been of unyielding material; but owing to the fixed position of theroller j said tapes must be made of some elastic or partly-elasticmaterial, so as to yield as the diameter of the core g is increased bythe fabric wound thereon and to contact as said diameter decreasesduring the feeding process, both windingand feeding being performed inpractically the same manner as hereinbefore fully explained. Theimaginary axis of the core 9 moves in a plane in all respects similar tothe plane of the shaft g, owingto the peculiar arrangement of the partsand the georial and suitable tension means employed, as

in the other cases. So, too, may the tension means last alluded to beomitted and the tapes The tension-roller i j and asso 'ciated parts arealso duplicated in the present made of yielding material. Generally,however, it is thought thatunyielding tapes and mechanical means forkeeping them taut will produce the best results.

I do not wish to be confined or restricted to the exact construction andarrangement herein shown and described, as minor changes therein may bemade without departing from the nature of myinvention. It is plainly tobe seen that the sizes of the different members and shapes of some ofthem will vary under different circumstances, both actual and relative,and that they may be differently mounted. Especially will numerous formsof resilient or yielding bearings for the back roller readily occur tothoseskilled in the art, so that I do not wish to be limited to theparticular form shown. Moreover, the rotary members may be actuated byapplying power elsewhere than to the rollers 0 and t. For instance, inall of the cases illustrated there is no reason why the roller f shouldnot become the actuating medium, if desired. Different forms of guidemay be used, or sometimes the guide may be dispensed with, or perhapsthe fingers will be found to be unnecessary, especially where themechanism shall be used only for feeding, and there would often be noharm done under many conditions if the rear edge of the guide lightlytouched the periphery of the fabric-roll. Again, where used only forwinding, as at a paper or fabric factory, the guide need not be so closeto the face of the core or fabric thereon as when feeding is also to bedone from the same mechanism. Occasionally more tape-supporting membersthan I have shown may be required to keep the highest and lowest reachesof tape from rubbing on intermediate parts of the tape where they passover and under the fabric-roll; but it will be readily seen how theseadditional members can be easily supplied. It should also be added thatwhile I believe the position of the mechanism with the socalledactuating-roller above the guide is better for winding fabric on thecore, since the proper lapping of the top and bottom margins of thefabric is thus more conveniently done, I think it will be veryadvantageous to adopt an inverted position of the entire device when themechanism is used chiefly for feeding, because then the fed sheet can bebent down over the actuating-roller, thus taking out much or all of thecurl which it has perhaps acquired by being wound on the core,especially if a smallcore be employed. When a large core is used, thecurl will be perhaps quite unobjectionable.

Certain of the tape-supporting members which are herein shown anddescribed as rollers having rotary motion need not always have suchmotion nor be of roller formation, but may consist of stationary partsof some other suitable formation.

instead of extending the long guide-fingers from the edge of a guidethey may be separate and distinct from the latter and projected upwardfrom below into proper position or otherwise located, and the guideitself may even be omitted in such case.

VVhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In fabric winding and feeding mechanism the combination of aplurality of tapesupporting members, two of which are in fixed bearingsand one of which is in movable bearings, and the last-named springtensioned away from the other said members, means to so tension saidmember in shifting bearings, a member of varying diameter in movablebearings, and partially embraced by the tape in the reach between twosaid supporting members in fixed bearings.

2. In fabric winding and feeding mechanism, the combination with amember of varying diameter, of a plurality of tape-supporting membersand tape adapted to be supported thereby, said tape-supporting membersbeing so arranged that in passing from one to another said tapepartially embraces said member of varying diameter, and a guide havingone edge adjacent the exposed portion of said member of varyingdiameter.

3. In fabric winding and feeding mechanism, the combination with amember of varying diameter, of a plurality of tape-supporting membersand tape adapted to be supported thereby, said tape-supporting membersbeing so arranged that in passing from one to another said tapepartially embraces said member of varying diameter, and fingers adjacentthe member of varying diameter and intersecting one of the planes of thetape.

L. In fabric winding and feeding mechanism, the combination with amember of varying diameter, of a plurality of tape-supporting membersand tape adapted to be supported thereby, said tape-supporting membersbeing so arranged that in passing from one to another said tapepartially embraces said member of varying diameter, a guide having oneedge adjacent the exposed portion of said member of varying diameter,and fingers adjacent the member of varying diameter and intersecting oneof the planes of the tape.

5. In fabric Winding and feeding mechanism, the combination with aplurality of tapesupporting members and the tape supported thereby, anda member of varying diameter partially embraced by said tape, of a guidehaving an edge adjacent the arc of said member of varying diameter notembraced by the tape, fingers extending adjacent such are and curvedapproximately thereto and intersecting the course of the tape betweensaid member of varying diameter and a supporting member, and otherfingers located between the first-mentioned fingers.

6. In fabric winding and feeding mechananism the combination of aplurality of tapesupporting members, two of which are in fixed bearings,and the tape supported thereby, and a member of varying diameter, inmovable bearings and partially embraced by the tape in the reach betweentwo supporting members in fixed bearings, which said member of varyingdiameter contacts with one only of the said fixed members or theintervening tape.

- 7. In fabric supporting and feeding mech: anism the combination of aplurality of tapesupporting members and the tape supported thereby, anda core with fabric thereon in separate detachments, a portion of eachpreceding detachment, in order of feeding, lapping upon the exteriorsurface of the next succeeding detachment, said tape supporting membersbeing so arranged that in passing from one supporting member to anotherthe tape partially embraces said fabric in separate detachments uponsaid core.

8. In fabric winding and feeding mechanism the combination oftape-supportingmembers at least four in number, three of which are infixed bearings, and the tape supported thereby, another member ofvarying diameter in movable bearings and partially embraced by the tapein the reach between two of said fixed tape-supporting members, and ashiftingly-journaled rotary member outside the tape-circuit buttensioned against one of said fixed tape-supporting members or theintervening tape.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. BELLAMY.

WVitnesses:

F. A. CUTTER, STEPHEN S. TAFT, Jr.

